Pepper Bacterial Spot Control by Bacillus velezensis: Bioprocess Solution

Pepper bacterial spot is one of the most severe plant diseases in terms of infection persistence and economic losses when it comes to fresh pepper fruits used in nutrition and industrial processing. In this study, Bacillus velezensis IP22 isolated from fresh cheese was used as a biocontrol agent of pepper bacterial spot, whose main causal agent is the cosmopolitan pathogen Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. After optimization of the cultivation medium composition aimed at maximizing of the antimicrobial activity against X. euvesicatoria and validation of the optimized medium at the scale of a laboratory bioreactor, in planta tests were performed. The results have showed significant suppression of bacterial spot symptoms in pepper plants by the produced biocontrol agent, as well as reduction of disease spreading on the healthy (uninoculated) pepper leaves. Furthermore, HPLC-MS (high pressure liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry) analysis was employed to examine antimicrobial metabolites produced by B. velezensis IP22, where lipopeptides were found with similar m/z values compared to lipopeptides from fengycin and locillomycin families. The bioprocess solution developed at the laboratory scale investigated in this study represents a promising strategy for production of pepper bacterial spot biocontrol agent based on B. velezensis IP22, a food isolate with a great perspective for application in plant protection.